Murder and other sweet things
by Jatekos3
Summary: One-shot stories based on Skyrim. Mostly about killing :D some stories: (short) joining the Stormcloaks; (a bit too long) murdering Grelod, in other words joining the Dark Brotherhood ; a woman killed on the streets of Whiterun (Shadowplay); and more :) hope you like it (characters aren't going to appear in every story)
1. Shadowplay

She ran faster than ever.

But it wasn't enough; the shadow could easily catch up with her. No, not a shadow; it was someone, who wore a black mask, black boots, a black armor... Whoever this person was, he wanted to kill her.

She took another step, but then the black person grabbed her shoulder. He pulled her violently back. She hit a box, - no, a barrel and began to scream. Her shoulder hurt too much to ignore it. She screamed louder when the shadowy figure moved closer. Then he bent down to her and whispered. "This was the last time you tried to resist, Minal."

Minal could tell, that this person was a man. But she was too exhausted to respond. She shut her eyes tight when a sword was placed next to her exposed neck. She wished herself to wake up, even though she knew this wasn't a nightmare. The pain was definetly real. Then the man moved his sword away, ready to strike down on her vulnerable spot.

A few thoughts crossed Minal's mind: oh, why did she have to believe that the Dark Brotherhood was the right side to choose? They were evil, no - not just evil,_ heartless_. Minal knew this was the end... Suddenly, she felt pain. Her neck was sliced open, her red blood peeling down on her weak body.

Then the pain began to fade. But her sight and hearing too. Everything faded away. The young woman finally lay peacfully on the ground, her chest vine red because of her precious blood, her eyes closed. She was smiling: she knew it was over. The lies, the war... all of her problems were finally solved


	2. I joined the Stormcloaks

"Good. You're here.", Galmar Stone-Fist said. I was standing in front of him; my wounds were still fresh. Galmar was one of the important captains in the Stormcloak Army. When I was young, the Imperials wanted to cut my head off. Since that day I don't trust anyone who wears their armor. So I wanted to join the Stormcloaks because they fight for Skyrim and they aren't the puppets of the Aldmeri Dominion.  
Galmar said if I kill the Ice Wraith at Ysgamor's Tomb I could join his Army. The Ice Wraith wasn't that hard to kill; it was harder to find one.  
"The Ice Wraith is dead.", I said and showed him the melting tooth which was in my hand. "Great. Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak will be pleased.", he said, but he didn't allow me to enter the Jarls room. "Here is your first mission: A time ago, we found out where the Jagged Crown is. It is said, that it was lost in the third Era and that it's owner is granted wisdom and power. Jarl Ulfric needs that crown. Give me your map and I'll show you where it is. Meet me and my men near the entrace.", he said and marked the place on my map. The crown is in Haafingar in an ancient Nordic tomb. "A place deep under the surface full with the draugr. And skeevers. This mission won't be that easy. It is very dangerous - I like adventures, let's go!", I though and left the Palace of the Kings to get the Jagged Crown for my Jarl.


	3. Innocence Lost

I entered Windhelm an hour ago. I am standing in front of the Aretino Residence. It took some time for me to find it, because the city is huge and there are many thin streets. Now I have to pick the lock so I can talk to Aventus Aretino. After a few broken lockpicks I was able to enter the house.

I heard a voice. "Sweet Mother, sweet mother send your child unto me, for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear." This was the Black Sacrament.

Aventus tried to get the Dark Brotherhood to kill someone. I went up the stairs and turned to the right. The boy wasn't there, but there was another room on the right. I walked up to the boy.

A skeleton was laying on the floor surrounded by candles. A book, some human organs and flesh and a flower, a Nightshade lay next to Aventus, who was stabbing a dagger into the floor.

"Aventus?". I said.  
"You came!",he breathed. " You are finally here… I did the Black Sacrament over and over, and now you're here! An assassin of the Dark Brotherhood!", he was waiting for me to answer, but I stood there silently.  
"You don't have to say anything. That you're here means, that you will accept my contract. My mother… she died. So they sent me into that Orphanage. But the headmistress is cruel, so I ran back home. And now you're here! You can kill Grelod the Kind!"  
"Alright" was the only answer I could choke.

I was shocked, even though I knew how selfish Grelod the "Kind" was. She didn't let anyone adopt the children, and she forced them to believe that nobody wanted them.

I've spoken with the children, they hate Grelod just as much as Aventus does. "I will do a favour for everyone" I calmed myself.

I turned around and left the house without another word. I was still a bit paralyzed, but I was able to find my way out to the stables. I grabed my satchel. "How much is the ride to Riften?" I asked Alfarinn, who was sitting on his carriage. "20 septims" he said. I counted out the gold, gave it to him and climbed on the carriage.

After a few hours I arrived at the Riften Stables. It was about midnight, because it was very dark. Unfortunetly there were more predators at night, especially in the Rift. I walked slowly to the gate because noone was outside at the stables.

A guard was standing in front of the gate. He wasn't watching me, so I stopped walking. I could sense, that there was something wrong. I slowly readied my bow, which was hanging on my back. I saw, that the guard silently readied his greatsword.

I slowly turned around and shot an arrow to the bushes. I heard a strange sound and two creatures came out of the bushes. The guard ran yelling up to the them and swinged his two-handed weapon at their legs. It was dark but I could easily recognize the creatures: Frostbite spiders.

The guard hit their forehead with the grip of his greatsword and so he paralyzed the spiders, so I had enough time to change my weapon. Suddenly one of the spiders lunged itself at the guard, the other one was about to attack me.

My sword was an enchanted one: after hitting the enemy it burned it's hole body, so it was a very useful weapon against every kind of opponent.

The spider was now close enough for me to hit him. I jabbed my sword right into its forehead for a few heartbeats, then I pulled out. The spider fell dead to the ground.

"Are you poisoned?" the guard asked.  
The second spider was laying peacefully next to him.  
"No, I'm alright." I said and cleaned the stinking green spiderblood from my sword. Then I put it back to its sheath and walked to the gate to enter Riften.

I always liked this city, but this time I couldn't enter it smiling, I could only think about what is going to happen. I was never afraid of murder, I even enjoyed it because it made me feel unbeatable.

After a few minutes I was standing on front of Honorhall Orphanage. I took a deep breath and entered the small house. Grelod was shouting with the cildren. Constance, Grelod's co-worker could do nothing but to just stand there and listen to it.

As Grelod ended her scene, Constance walked up to me and said "You really shouldn't be here." But then she sat down to the table behind me, while Grelod entered her room.

I lay my right hand on the grip of my sword and followed her. I closed the door so the children couldn't see the murder. "What are you doing here? " Grelod snapped, but as I pulled my sword out of its sheath her eyes widened. She tried to run, but I was blocking the only exit. I swinged my sword with all my power at her. She let out a dying scream and fell to the floor.

The children had heard her scream and entered the room too.  
"Someone has killed Grelod!" a boy said and laughed.  
"Grelod is dead! Aventus did it!" a ten-year-old girl giggled.  
Another boy shouted happily: "Grelod the Kind is dead at last! We're saved!"

I guess, they didn't see me enter the room. They couldn't see me now either, because I hid under Grelod's bed, so the guards won't take me to jail. I listened for a while at them, until I heard a scream.  
"Where is that girl? She killed Grelod!" Constance. She didn't become an answer, the children were busy "mourning" Grelod. Constance ran out of the room shouting:  
"I'll get the guards!" Hurray!, I thought. I rolled out and ran as fast as I could out of the Orphanage, ignoring the children's surprised looks.

When I left the Orphanage I could still hear the children, but I couldn't see Constance. I ran faster then ever out to the stables. For the first time I felt how tired I was. I walked half asleep to the carriage. No guard was out, maybe he heard about Grelod.  
"Here is the coin. Take me to Windhelm." I murmured to the driver of the carriage. He nodded and I climbed on the carriage. I fell asleep before I could say "murder".

I woke up as someone poked my cheek. "We're here." Alfarinn said. I climbed out of the carriage. My back was aching but I felt rested.

As I entered the Aretino Residence, Aventus was waiting for me.  
"You're here! Is Grelod... you know?"  
"Grelod the Kind is dead" I said, my voice cold as ice.  
"Aha! I knew you could do it! I just knew it! I knew the Dark Brotherhood would save me! Here, just like I promised. This should fetch you a nice price."  
He handed a little bag full of golden and silver jewelry over.  
"And thank you. Thank you again."  
He turned around and I did the same. I put the bag into my satchel and left the house. I was rested and I left the city.

I didn't want to spend more coins on the carriage, so I decided to walk to Whiterun. It wasn't a short way, neither was it safe. But I wasn't defenseless at all.

I was walking peacefully for an hour when I heard a roar. On my left there was a bear. It was standing on its hind legs, that meant, I didn't have time to run away. Bears are strong enemies and they aren't so easy to defeat like the Frostbite spiders. If you weren't fast enough and you didn't dodge enough times, it easily killed you.

I quickly grabbed my sword and I could dodge the attack of a huge paw just in time. The bear tried to take me while standing on its hind legs. I rolled away from another attack to the side while the bear was regaining its footing.

I wanted to stab my sword into the bear's stomach but I wasn't near enough to do that. The bear kicked me with one of his hind legs and I forced myself not to yowl in pain. I rolled back to the head of the bear which was another woundabke point.

The bear attacked, it wanted to hit my head off but I ducked, so the bear's paw hit only the air. I was crouching under the bear's neck. "I have to be fast" I thought. My heart wsa pounding in my throat. I knocked myself to the ground. I was laying on the forestfloor, ony my back.

I grabbed my sword with both of my hands and pushed it with the force I had left upwards, wounding the bear's neck. The I rolled to the side again and as I half crouched, half limped, I could see the bear falling to the ground.

My forehead was wet and the spot where the bear kicked me ached very much. I threw my sword away. I wanted to investigatemy wound, so I moved my hand into its direction. As my hand touched the spot I whimpered. I pulled my hand back and saw, that it was red. I has a serious wound.

In my satchel there were a few herbs and potions, so I grabbed a healing potion. I quickly drank out the hole bottle. After a few seconds I felt, that my energy was coming back. My wound was gone only after a few minutes. The blood on my hand was the only thing that reminded me of the pain.

I grabbed my sword with the other hand and cleaned my bloody one with the leaves of a Snowberry bush. Then I continued my way to Whiterun.

I was walking since a half an hour. The forest was beautiful, so I kept on stopping all the time to get a better view of it. I was stopping now again, but I heard quiet footsteps behind me. When I wanted to turn around something ht my back and I saw nothing but darkness.

I woke up with my back aching. I could easily ignore it, though, because I was focusing on something else. I was in an abandoned house: there were spider webs in the corner, and there was an empty bookshelf in front of me.

A woman was sitting on the shelf and she was watching me. She wore a black and red armor,shoes,gloves and a mask, which only uncovered her eyes.

"Sleep well?" she asked.  
Her voice was calm, but I could hear the sarcastic edge in it.  
"Who are you?" I asked her.  
"I'm Astrid."  
"Where am I?" I asked, my voice sounding angry.  
"That doesn't matter. You're warm and alive. That's more than can't be said for Grelod. Hmmm?"  
"You know about that?" I asked, unable to hide my surprise.  
"Half of Skyrim knows. It was a good kill, but there is a little... problem." Her voice was filled with menace.  
"A problem, huh?" I reapeated disrespectfully.  
"The boy was calling for tha Dark Bortherhood - for me and my family. You have stolen a kill. One you must repay."  
"I won't murder anyone else." I said firmly.  
"You have to. If you turn around, you'll see my guests. I've "collected" them... well, that doesn't matter. There is a contract on one of them, but... oh, on which one? Make your choice." She said, with her calm, but yet sarcastic voice.  
As I didn't replay she added:  
"I'll give you the key to this shack, if you do it."  
"Alright" I murmured, and turned around.

I saw three people. Every single's hands were bound together and there was a black sack on each's face. I readied my sword. As I walked to them, I could figure them out better: the first one was a man, the second a woman and the third was a khajiit. The tail of the cat-man was laying peacefully on the ground.

I looked at them and I couldn't choose. I didn't have spirit to talk them.

"I don't have time for this! Whatever, I'll kill all of them, then I can't kill the wrong one, can I?" I thought.

I stabbed my sword into the man's stomach, then sliced the woman's throat open and finally I stabbed my weapon into the khajiit's back. I didn't bother to clean the blood off of my sword.

I turned around to face Astrid, whose eyes were estimating me.  
"Three possibilities, three victims. I told you to kill, and you killed. Well done. Here's the key."  
She stretched her hand with the key, but before I could get it, she pulled back and said: "But why stop here? I say, we should take our relationship o the next level. I would like to invite you officially to my family. The Dark Brotherhood. In the northwest of Skyrim, in the oine forest you'll find the entrace into our sanctuary. It's just next to the road, but hidden from view. When questioned by the black door, answer with, "Silence, my brother." Then ou're in, and you can start your new life as an assassin of the Dark Brotherhood. See you at home, sister." She said and handed over the key.

I grabbed it turned around and unlocked the exit. I was standing in the wild, my thoughts swirling around my upcoming life as a member of the Dark Brotherhood.

I couldn't wait to meet my fellow partners of the Dark Brotherhood...


End file.
